The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has kicked against the order of a court to remand Senator Ali Ndume in Kuje Correctional Centre, over his failure to produce the former Pension Task Team Chairman, Abdulrasheed Maina, in court, Page 36 learnt.
Recall, that Senator Ndume, the Lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, was on Monday, sent to the Correctional Centre a Federal High Court, in Abuja.
The order followed his inability to produce Maina in court, whom he stood as a Surety for, in his ongoing corruption and money laundering criminal trial.
Justice Okon Abang ordered Senator Ndume to be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Abang, however, gave 3 conditions upon which Ndume can regain his freedom; first, is that he pays the N500 million bail bond into the Federation Account of the Federal Government, and present the evidence of such payment in court, or the Federal Government sells the property situated in Asokoro, Abuja, which Ndume pledged as security for the bond, and present evidence of sale and payment of the N500 million realised into the Federation Account, or he (Ndume) produces Maina, who is believed to have now jumped bail, in court.
Reacting in a statement signed by its National President, Alh. Yerima Shettima, the Arewa Forum said that the same treatment was not meted out to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, when IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, jumped bail.
While describing Ndume’s treatment as unfair, the group urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and to put an end to what they called embarrassing selectivity against one of the North’s exceptionally-vocal, fearless, and pro-masses members of the National Assembly.
The Arewa Forum, noted that in as much as they are not denying whether Maina committed an offence or not, they believe it amounts to setting a bad example, if Senator Abaribe, who stood a Surety for an alleged terrorist, Nnamdi Kanu, is still walking the streets as a free man.
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The group stated that in the interest of equity, fairness, and balance, Senator Abaribe should be immediately arrested and remanded in Prison too, until IPOB’s Kanu turns himself in.
The Forum observed that both Ndume and Abaribe are Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and therefore, Abaribe cannot be said to be higher in status than Ndume.
The argued that Ndume’s case is such that Maina is still a suspect being tried by the law, and no sentence has yet been handed down by any court of competent jurisdiction, while such cannot be said of Nnamdi Kanu and his treason case.
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